Coastal Manager
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Coastal areas have always been attractive for settlement, industrial use and trade. In these days of climate change, rising sea levels and more extreme winter storms, the ability to manage our coastline effectively becomes increasingly important. The challenge we face is to balance the demands of humans with the practicalities of combating the natural threats of flooding and erosion.
This interactive package focuses on a low-lying, east facing section of coast some 10 kilometres long. Although the solid geology is robust, it is overlain by soft, easily eroded glacial material and the area has a history of both coastal erosion and flooding. Students take on the role of ‘Coastline Management Consultant’ and, working to a budget, have to plan and carry out an integrated programme of work to defend the coast from the increasing risk of erosion and flooding.
Coastal Manager is an engaging program with an emphasis on ‘thinking skills’. It is a user-friendly introduction to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) based on a theme covered by many, if not all, Key Stage 3, GCSE and AS/A2 specifications. The over-riding process is one of investigation, modelling and decision-making. Students must ask geographical questions and, in the light of the answers, make informed decisions. The results of these decisions are displayed immediately. The easily accessible images, commentaries, results tables, graphs and balance sheets allow a wide range of opportunities for work on numeracy and literacy as well as geography and, in a wider context, citizenship. All images and displays can be cut and pasted to produce professional looking projects, reports or presentations whatever the focus of the outcome. Coastal Manager focuses on the following topics/issues:
Finding out about coastal processes. Coastal Manager does this via two slide shows, one on coastal processes and the other on coastal management. These slide shows include detailed on-screen commentaries and an interactive glossary of key terms. An on-screen ‘Coastal Management Handbook’ is available at any time during the running of the program which includes detailed information about coastal defences together with all the facts from the slide shows.
Assess vulnerability & model possible outcomes. The main tool for this is a detailed GIS covering the study area. Detailed OS style and thematic maps can be easily produced and combined to allow a full picture of the physical and human background to the study area to be built up. Physical factors such as Relief, Drainage, Natural Vegetation and Solid or Drift Geology can be viewed. The data for these can be combined to produce a map showing the ‘strength’ (resistance to erosion) of the area. Maps showing human features such Buildings, Roads, Land Use and Land Value can be displayed or overlaid to produce any combination of attributes. Environmentally Sensitive Locations can be viewed and information about individual buildings assessed.
The future of the coast as a whole can be modelled using a range of sea level change scenarios and the outcome viewed as animated maps. Potential land and property losses can be displayed both in map form and in financial terms.
Making balanced and informed decisions. Modern coastal management revolves around accurate ‘Benefit/Cost Analysis’. Coastal Manager allows this to be done swiftly and accurately. Options can be modelled, amended and combined until a cost-effective and environmentally acceptable scheme is found.
Undertake work. Each year the ‘Coastline Management Consultant’ has a budget to work to when implementing his/her scheme. Defences selected from a range of options including, amongst others: Sea Walls, Gabions, Revetments, Groynes and Beach Feeding. It is also possible to rebuild roads away from the sea rather than defend existing locations. It is impossible to do all the work needed at once. A staged plan over ten years is needed, but in what order?
Having constructed a year’s defences you ‘Run’ the year. Coastal Manager generates a random weather scenario for each month of the year and models its affect on the coast. As the year runs areas under immediate threat are identified and the option to build emergency defences offered. At the end of the year a detailed review of the outcome is presented. Detailed analysis of the current and all previous years can be carried out with results being displayed in the form of tables, a range of graphs and a financial balance sheet.
PC only Windows 95 or later. Primary & Secondary levels   |
Tel: 0870 513 3168 Fax: 0870 120 0006 (outside UK: +44 1837 810 831)
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